At White House, the Dalai Lama sidesteps trash

The Dalai Lama leaves through the back door of the White House Thursday afternoon – trash and all. His Holiness had just finished his meeting with President Obama, and was heading out to the 'stakeout area' where a crush of reporters awaited him.

Washington — Yes, that’s the Dalai Lama leaving the White House Thursday afternoon via the back door – into a mound of trash. His Holiness had just finished his meeting with President Obama and was heading out to the “stakeout area,” where a crush of reporters awaited him. That’s what the Dalai Lama is pointing at.

I was with another, smaller group of reporters and photographers, waiting to accompany the president in his motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base. We knew the Dalai Lama was about to come out, so I had my BlackBerry camera ready.

"You reported that the Dalai Lama left the White House out of the back door. That's just not accurate. He exited through the Palm Room doors. The Dalai Lama said he was pleased by the visit, and I assume he exited through the Palm Room doors because that's the easiest, quickest, and most convenient way to get to the stakeout location to speak with the press."